The Promised Queen
by Starri Night
Summary: 30 years after Sarah saved Toby she has a family, but Jareth has appeared again and this time, he holds her daughter Katherine captive in his Labyrinth. Or does he? Who truly holds the power this game? Rating might go up later.
1. She can never know

"Shut up mom!" The 17 year old yelled down the stairs, wiping the tears from her face. Her eyes locked with her mothers. "I hate you." She stood in the doorway to her room.

Sarah looked at her raging daughter. Katherine, or Kat for short, had her father's rich honey brown hair that tumbled around her face and hung in soft waves down to her waist. Sarah's own gray-green eyes glared back from Katherine's face. Jonathan, her husband, traveled most of the time as a journalist and Sarah had multiple dinner functions that required her attention on the weekends. Katherine could complain all she wanted but she was not allowed to have friends over when her parents were out.

Not that she had many friends anyway. The magic in her system caused humans to instinctively stay away from her. Katherine could never know of the magic in her blood.

Sarah had become a Gate Keeper when she had traveled into Jareth's immortal realm 30 years before. Jon was slightly disappointed that she didn't want more children but he accepted it. The truth was that she couldn't risk brining another with Katherine's power into the world. More importantly, she could never let Katherine awaken her powers.

She had hidden the book _The Labyrinth_ in a trunk in the attic that was also filled with her High School things. She had checked on it soon before Kat was born, when her dreams had begun to show Jareth. He could never be allowed to find her daughter. She knew that if Katherine was to awaken her true power she would be able to call things from across the portal.

Sarah sighed in frustration and looked at her watch. "I don't have time for this. I have to go; I'll be home before two." Sarah left her daughter at the top of the stairs. "I love you!" she yelled as she grabbed her keys and went through the back door.

A/N: I know, I know, really short for a first chapter. I'm going through and re-editing this story, fixing stuff. I'm also back on it, for now anyway. For those of you that like this story, reviews help a lot!


	2. Jareth

Kat let her breath out in a huff as she turned into her room. Her black skirt swished along her thigh and lace up black suede boots reached just below her knees. A green and black corset-shirt flattered her hourglass figure perfectly, ruffled sleeves feathering over her shoulders.

She felt a slight bit better when she walked into the haven that was her room. Almost every wall held built in book shelves and every shelf was full with her beloved books. Some of them even overflowed onto her floor. As Katherine looked around at her books and few stuffed animals, she noticed a dull bit of red peaking out from underneath her pillow.

She pulled out the small leather-bound book. _The Labyrinth _was a book she had found in one of her many excursions in the attic when she had nothing better to do while her parents were out. She had found this little treasure in an old trunk of her mother's. It had been covered in dust but it had called to her, begging to be read. Kat had taken it down into her room and, after cleaning the dust and dirt of carefully, had cracked the little volume. She had decided that her mother wouldn't miss it. Particularly if Kat never brought it up. That had been two months ago.

The story intrigued her, who would fight through the Goblin King's Labyrinth to rescue a baby they had wished away in the first place? The Goblin King was what truly caught her interest, the enchanting male character with white-blonde hair. He could control anything in his kingdom of the Underground and had the power to grant dreams. As she reverently ran her fingers over the red cover she found herself wondering what he would be like. Certainly powerful, slightly cruel, but something, other than the gorgeous picture in her mind, told her he would be more than just a ruler.

She heard a clicking on her window. She looked around and saw the beautiful barn owl that had taken a liking to her. Kat moved to open the latch on the swinging window, pushing it out slowly so the bird wouldn't be startled. Wind blew into her room and brought the smell of rain. Kat looked at the sky to see heavy storm clouds rolling in but she was quickly distracted as the owl perched on her window sill.

The majestic creature had come to live in the large tree next to Kat's room and had become friendlier through the weeks. She had found it was so much easier to talk to someone who seemed to listen without giving judgment.

Kat had decided to do some research on barn owls and had quickly realized that it was a large male that had taken refuge in her tree. He had somehow reminded her of the Goblin King, beautiful and mysterious, so she named him Jareth. The first time she had called him this he had ruffed his feathers until he was puffed up in pride. In the last few weeks he had grown to trust her enough to let her stroke his glossy feathers when he sat on her window sill.

"If only I knew the words," Kat whispered, "I could leave this place."

Jareth tilted his head sideways. Kat had set the book on the sill and now the bird leaned down and picked it up, shaking it at her. Kat was surprised and a bit frightened by the owl's antics. He seemed to say to her, 'you know the words.'

"You don't actually think it would work do you?" She said nervously, the owl hooted. "Ok, ok I'll try it! Just stop looking at me like that! And put that book down, it isn't mine."

Kat took a deep breath and remembered the fight with her mother moments before. Angry tears pricked her eyes and she bit her lip. Words came to her mind. They rolled off her tongue.

"I wish for the Goblin King. I wish you would come take me away to your castle, right now!"

--

A/N: Still fixing things and still need reviews!!


	3. First Meeting

Jareth had watched Katherine fight with her mother again. Sarah had certainly changed in the last thirty years, she had finally accepted the world and she was married. But Katherine was something completely different. Because her mother had spent time within the immortal realm, her daughter held a darkness that caused most humans to shy away from her.

Jareth had been aware of the girl almost as soon as she had been born. Humans tinged with magic didn't come along very often and this girl was even more special. She was his match. He had watched her grow into a young woman yet could not interfere. That is, until she found his book.

Sarah had never gotten rid of the book and it had recently fallen into the hands of her 17 year old daughter. Now that she had touched the book, read it, her powerful magic had been awakened. She had called to him, in her dreams, and opened the portal between worlds enough for him to join her, though not in his true form.

He had been startled when the girl had called him by name but soon recovered when he realized she really had no idea. She spoke to him often of her hardships in school, how people rarely spoke to her and boys avoided her.

Then she said the thing he had been waiting for. 'I wish I knew the words.' He shook the book at her. She had been slightly frightened but he watched the memory of her mother flash in her eyes and as the first drops of rain began to fall, she parted her lips.

~~*~~

Katherine expected nothing to happen. She was just realizing how foolish her hope had been when wind slammed through her room. Papers and books flew everywhere, thrown by the blast from her window. Kat yelped and threw up her hands to shield her face. A shadow covered her.

She slowly dropped her arms to see him. The beautiful man she had seen in her dreams. White-blonde hair danced into his dark eyes that pierced her. Kat could only stare for a moment. Boots came up over black leather pants that clung tightly to his legs, not leaving much to the imagination. A black shirt hung loosely around his shoulders, mostly unbuttoned to show off his defined chest.

His lips moved and the hypnotizing voice reached her ears, "Hello Katherine." "You're him, the Goblin King?"

"Clever girl," he said as he stepped forward. He took her hand and kissed it softly, savoring the smell of her skin. "I have come to take you away, as you wished of me." Katherine glanced around; pinching herself to be sure she wasn't hallucinating. The sharp pain in her leg just below the hem of her skirt, where her fingers closed over skin, jolted her. _Oh my God! _

Jareth took a moment to look around her room in color for the first time. He smirked as he saw the many books surrounding them. A few shelves even held notebooks filled with bits of poetry, pieces of her original stories, song lyrics, and rough sketches. A particular drawing caught his eye. He twitched his fingers and it came to his hand. It was his perfect likeness, down to the pendant around his neck. A cape swirled around him like a cloud of darkness, contrasting his hair. Leather boots came knee high over a pair of grey breeches and a flowing white shirt sat comfortably on his torso. "Quite the imagination Katherine," He said sweetly, holding the picture. "But I do wonder how you managed to be so precise."

Kat opened her suddenly dry mouth, "I've seen you."

Jareth's eyes snapped up to meet her green ones. "Whatever do you mean? This is the first time we've met."

"I saw you in my dreams," she whispered. "I started that," she pointed to the sketch, "in one of my English classes. I just let my pencil sketch as I daydreamed and when the bell rang I looked down to see this. I worked on it for weeks before I got it just right." Jareth was taken aback; he had never sent the girl dreams, let alone dreams of himself. Her magic must have been at work, drawing her to him without him even realizing. He shook his head.

"Come," he said, offering his hand again. Katherine took it slowly, staring at him. "You wished for me to take you away, to my kingdom."

"Really?" Kat said softly, biting her bottom lip. "You could do that?"

Jareth bowed low, "I can only do as my future Queen demands." Katherine gasped as he stood and pulled on her hand. The next thing she knew her lips were pressed to his.

This was not her first kiss but it was far different from the teenage boys she had kissed before. This was fueled by fire. Jareth held her mouth with passion, one arm around her waist as the other cradled the back of her head. Kat found her arms had encircled his neck.

Jareth pulled away slowly. "I've waited for you for a long time Katherine."

Kat shook her head, trying to clear the haze in her mind. "Wait," she said. "As you said, I haven't even met you, how could I be your Queen? Besides my parents would worry," the recent fight with her mother gone from her mind.

"You are old enough to make your own decisions Katherine," Jareth said darkly, growing slightly impatient.


	4. The Goblin City

Kat couldn't deny her strong physical attraction to the man before her. She could still feel her lips throbbing from his kiss. _Oh my god! I let him kiss me!_ She was almost angry except for the fact that her stomach was still doing flips, leaving her slightly off balance. But he was a complete stranger!

"Why didn't you come to me before?"

"Your mother sealed the passage between our worlds," Jareth explained. "For the last 16 years I could only see you when you dreamt. But when you found my book, like your mother did years ago," he gestured to the small leather volume, "your dormant magic was awakened." Jareth watched as Katherine took in the information silently. "From what you have told me I assume your magic was pushing past your mother's barrier before I was aware of it. After you read the book I was able to use your magic to pass through to this world. But I was not able to take my true form until you wished it to be."

Kat was very still and for a moment, Jareth thought she had gone into shock. Then her eyes snapped up to meet his mismatched ones. This had to be some kind of prank. Someone must have seen the drawing. She was sure it would be the talk of school on Monday if she believed it. She could here the other students now, '_Yeah that bookworm Kat thought this King guy was there to take her away to his castle! She actually fell for it!'_ Kat brushed aside the awareness that no teenager could have created his sudden appearance.

"So," Kat said slowly, as if she thought about every word. "You're telling me that I have magic. My mother knew about you and she sealed you out of this world." She thought for another moment. "How?" she asked with obviously fake innocence.

Jareth was enraged at her behavior, how dare she treat him with such disrespect? He took a deep breath and attempted to be patient with her, "When your mother wished away her younger brother she traveled to my world to bring him back. She is one of the few who has managed to defeat me. When she passed back to this world she brought a bit of magic back with her. She became the Gate Keeper between this world and my own."

"But then wouldn't she just pass on the same magic to me?" From the way Jareth spoke of her power it seemed to be more than her mother's. Not that she believed him.

"You are one of the rare humans who would have been born with magic anyway. It happens, far and in between, but it does happen. Your mother, Katherine, happened to have passed even more to you, making your powers even stronger."

"And this makes me your Queen?" Kat found her self slightly afraid at the change in him. He was now glaring at her, lips pulled tightly against his teeth. Before she had simply wanted to laugh, but now she could see the true anger in his eyes. He looked dangerous.

"No," Jareth growled, "what makes you my Queen is the way your magic calls to me. I knew the moment you were born."

Kat sighed in irritation, her mind thinking of how illogical this was. How could he expect her just run off with him? This guy seemed to be under the impression that she should be groveling at his feet because he had popped up out of thin air and called her his queen. She was too old to believe in fairy stories. Things didn't happen that way.

Jareth growled at her, aggravated with her ignorance. His hand locked around Kat's wrist in an almost painful grip.

"Hey wait a minute," Kat yelled. "Ouch, damn it let me go!" She attempted to twist her wrist away from him.

Then, suddenly, the ground vanished beneath her feet. The only thing she felt was Jareth's gloved hand over the skin of her arm. Her eyes clamped shut of their own accord as she waited to drop that her mind knew should happen without ground. But the sensation never came. A few seconds after the floor disappeared, it was replaced.

Kat opened her eyes. They widened as she took in the city around them. They stood in the middle of a cobblestone square. A fountain flowed softly behind them, the image of Jareth embodied in bronze with water flowing from under the crystal in his outstretched right hand. Structures which must have been houses surrounded them with streets between. But directly before them was a wide street leading up a slope to a large castle.

"Where are we?" Kat asked, turning to take in all of her surroundings.

"You know exactly where we are Katherine." Jareth said, "We are in the Underground."

"Impossible," Kat whispered mostly to herself. She had finished turning in a circle and was now staring directly into Jareth's mismatched eyes. Her hand reached out to him. Her fingers gently caressed his face. _This can't be real, can it?_

A/N: Well that was a short little happy story wasn't it? Nah, just kidding, now to the interesting stuff! (Review?)


	5. Of Crystals and Queens

Jareth couldn't help leaning into Kat's hand. He had waited for her for so long. Her mother had been beautiful certainly but no one had affected him the way Katherine could with just a simple touch. Her soft fingers were on his face and he couldn't hold out any longer.

Jareth's strong arms wrapped around Kat's waist as he pulled her to him, crushing her lips with his own. Kat melted, her arms flung around his neck as her body molded to his. She kissed him back fiercely though she kept telling herself that this wasn't real. Her feet were off the ground and she almost felt like a rag doll, but she doubted a rag doll could feel the fire racing through her veins.

Jareth lowered Kat's feet back to the ground, his mouth still holding hers captive. Now that he'd found her he never wanted to let her go. Her teeth nibbled at his lower lip, her tongue following slowly causing him to moan in her mouth. He had to stop this before he lost control, they'd only just met!

Jareth pulled his head back slowly, reluctantly. His right hand moved away from her waist so she could see it. He conjured a crystal there, letting it roll across his hand.

"I have a gift for you."

"What is it?" Kat asked, mesmerized by the way he manipulated the crystal.

"It's a surprise but don't worry, it won't harm you." He stopped the crystal on his fingertips and moved it toward her throat.

Kat gasped as she felt the cold surface of the crystal on her collar bone for a split second before it was replaced by a chain. She could feel a weight on the necklace, a pendant maybe?

"What is it?" She asked again. Her fingers slid across something smooth and cool.

Jareth now held a mirror so she could see herself in the reflection. Katherine's eyes widened. An emerald drop, shaped like a disk, was nestled in the center of a round onyx stone just larger than her thumb. It was suspended by a silver chain so it sat just below her collar bone, not quite reaching the hollow between her breasts. It was elegant but simple, something that could be worn anywhere.

"Thank you," She whispered, she had never owned anything so beautiful.

They stood in silence for a moment. Kat looked around again and noticed something.

"Hey this is the Goblin City right?" Jareth nodded, wondering what she was thinking. "So where are all the goblins?"

Jareth instantly went on alert. Where _were_ they indeed? All the streets were disserted, not a single goblin wandered. This was not right, his goblins should be swarming the city, bartering, drinking, fighting, and causing all sorts of mischief. He should have known as soon as he crossed that something was wrong but he had been too distracted.

"Stay close to me," he warned, taking Kat's hand.

Kat tightened her grip on Jareth's hand as they moved through the city. They had almost reached the gates of the castle when something dragged Kat backwards. She felt as if something were pulling her from the inside, ripping her in half. She screamed as her hand tore away from Jareth's.

Jareth felt the change in the atmosphere less than a second before Katherine's hand was gone and her scream echoed in his ears. He turned with lightning speed, snarling. Katherine was now ten yards away from him, held tightly in the arms of another woman who held a black dagger to her throat.

The blonde woman laughed at Jareth's furious face. Her platinum hair fell in a flowing line down to her knees, a crimson shirt clung to her body like a second skin and black leather pants encased her lower half. Blood red eyes held Jareth's, amused at his angry reaction. Katherine struggled slightly, trying to get away without slicing into her neck.

"Stop that," the blonde woman hissed, "wouldn't want to scar that pretty skin of yours." She pressed the blade against Kat slightly, causing beads of blood to collect on the sharp edge.

"Natalia!" Jareth growled, "Why are you here?"

"Well now that you have found your beautiful little one and only," she said, shaking Katherine. "I have decided it is time to check in on your domain. Your standards have become rather lax, I'm disappointed in you big brother." Natalia looked thoughtful for a moment, "you know I think I'll make some adjustments to your Labyrinth. And look," She said happily, "We even have a mouse to take a test run."

"No!" Jareth shouted and lunged for them.

Natalia danced away from him as if they were simply playing the mortal game of tag, twisting Kat along with her and pushing the knife into her soft flesh. More blood ran from the shallow wound. "Now Jareth, you're such a bad sport. Maybe she'll survive. Then you can do whatever you like with her," she smiled, her eyes reflecting evil. "But I doubt it."

"I won't let you do this!" He yelled, hardly keeping himself from doing something that would cause Katherine more pain.

"Oh Jareth," Natalia pouted sarcastically, "You seem to think I'm giving you a choice. Let me clarify" her fingers flicked, bringing Jareth to his knees, gasping in pain. "Your little pet _will _run the Labyrinth with my improvements. _You_ will wait in your castle and watch. I'll be there to make sure you can't help her."

Katherine watched as Jareth dragged himself up from the ground. The cut in her throat stung, making her eyes water slightly. This 'Natalia' woman was really starting to get on her nerves; she seemed to like the sound of her own voice. If it weren't for the sharp metal against her throat she would probably try to kick her.

"Katherine," Jareth said, reaching for her slightly.

"Ah well time is flying," Natalia said happily, "we have somewhere to be. I'll be back to check on you soon love." With a wave to Jareth she disappeared, Katherine along with her.

A/N: You knew there had to be a psycho bad guy, right? So what do you guys think?


	6. Ask someone who knows

Katherine once again felt the ground drop from under her and she was suddenly standing on a sandy hill. She whipped around but saw nothing but an old gnarled tree and a scraggly bush. She turned back around to see the giant Labyrinth laid out before her. Laughter echoed around her, cold and clear.

"You have 13 hours to solve the Labyrinth before you find your life thread cut short," Natalia's voice said smoothly. "Do try to last at least a few hours won't you? It's been so long since I've had decent entertainment."

"Anything else, oh mighty one?" Kat grumbled sarcastically. A sharp pain in the backs of her knees knocked her to the ground.

"Watch your tongue mortal brat," Snapped the icy voice from nowhere.

Kat put her fingers on the stinging behind her knees. When she brought it back in front of her blood dotted her skin. She growled as she stood, ignoring the dull ache when her legs moved. She surveyed her surroundings quickly.

There was a path down the hill that led toward the wall encasing the Labyrinth. She moved quickly, grumbling about picking the wrong day to wear heals. When she reached the wall she groaned, there was no way in anywhere she looked.

"Well this is just great!" She mumbled to herself, "I only have 13 freaking hours and I can't even get in."

"You could always ask someone who knows," said a gravely voice behind her. Kat whipped her head around, hair whirling to shadow her face in silky brown strands. A short man stood there. His face looked like it had been carved out of hard wood and he sported a leather vest over a white shirt. He looked like the top of his head would come up right below her breast bone, putting his craggy face at about stomach level.

"How long have you been standing there?" Kat asked the small man.

"Long enough to know that you're trying to get in there," he pointed at the wall.

"Yes," Kat's eyes narrowed as her mind raced, "… you're a dwarf aren't you?"

His blue eyes widened slightly but his face quickly became impassive again. "Certainly am, name's Hoggle."

"Katherine," She said softly. He was making her nervous, looking her up and down. She felt like she was under examination.

"You look familiar, like someone who was here before."

"My…. Mother," Kat nodded while the wheels in his head turned.

His mouth dropped open in recognition, "Sarah."

"Yes, Sarah." Kat rolled her eyes in annoyance. "So how do I get in to this Labyrinth?"

Hoggle pointed behind her as a creak sounded. Kat looked back to see a very large gate swinging inward. Metal spikes shot out of the gnarled wood of the gate, as if they were taunting someone to challenge their strength. Mist crept across the ground slowly, reaching for them from the shadows of the Labyrinth.

"Well that certainly looks inviting," she mumbled. "Thank you for your help Hoggle." Kat hesitated slightly before she moved into the mist.


	7. The First Illusions

"Wait!" Hoggle said before he could stop himself. This girl, Katherine, looked so much like her mother though light brown tumbled from her head instead of dark. Those same piercing gray-green eyes were staring back at him from her beautiful face. "Why are you here?"

Kat sighed but this dwarf was staring at her as if she were the most intriguing thing he had ever seen. She leaned against a large bolder near the entrance.

"I wished it."

Hoggle gaped at her, "YOU wished it? You don't mean you wished yourself here do you?" She nodded, honeyed locks bobbing with the movement. Hoggle looked at her with disbelief, he had never heard of anyone wishing themselves into the Underground. Certain mortals had probably thought about it but no one had ever known the right words, the words for Jareth only. "Why?"

"Why not?" Kat said, "I didn't fit in where I was," she gestured to her outfit with a grin, "I figured somewhere else was worth a try."

"But how?" Hoggle was thinking hard, it was said that no mortal could wish themselves here. Most humans didn't want the goblins to come and take them away but they were more than willing to wish it on another.

"I wanted to get away and…" she paused, "the words just came to me."

Hoggle was stunned. He knew the legend, that the only one that could bring herself to Jareth, or Jareth to her, would be the Queen of the Underground. But then what was she doing here at the entrance to the Labyrinth? "Shouldn't you be with Jareth?" He didn't realize he had actually spoken the last question until she answered him.

"I _was _with Jareth; he brought me to the city. One minute I was asking him where all the goblins were and the next I had a knife at my throat and some crazy chick was telling Jareth he had gone soft. She said she was going to have to take over for a while. I never saw her face but she poofed me here and told me I had 13 hours and that I should try to survive at least the first few because she hadn't had good fun in a while."

Ah, that explained some things. So Natalia had finally come to check in on the Labyrinth. Hoggle shook his head, this was bad. The Shadow Monarch was one of the few Fey that was more powerful than Jareth and Natalia had held the thrown for the several centuries. Though she was younger than Jareth in years, she was more ruthless than the Goblin King had ever been.

"You really are going in then?"

Gray-green eyes held Hoggle's, "I have to. She didn't give me much of a choice, it was more of a 'figure it out or die' kind of thing." She stood, stretched, and moved into the mist near the gate, which was now higher than his head. Hoggle was content to simply watch her go, until she screamed. Pain filled the sound ripping out of Kat's mouth.

"What is it?" Hoggle yelled, running toward her.

"It's burning me," she cried, frozen in place.

"What is?" Hoggle was confused as he moved toward her through the mist.

"How can you not feel it?" She screamed, clutching at her arms.

"What are you talking about? It's just…" Then the possibility dawned on him, "It's an illusion Katherine."

"What?"

"Look at your skin. The pain is an illusion." She looked and saw that nothing was burning her, her skin wasn't even red.

"Follow me." Hoggle stepped inside the gates, Kat right behind him. She still felt the pain but it was ebbing away as she realized that Hoggle was right, there were no burns on her skin. The menacing gates closed behind her. She heard the clang as the metal doors slammed shut. She turned to watch as the seam between the doors melted away, locking her into her own worst nightmare.


	8. Help?

Kat looked around her. _Well…_ she thought to herself, _this really isn't that impressive, a little creepy, maybe, but not so bad._

Black thorny vines were everywhere, on the walls, the ground, blocking out the sky over head. Sure it was a bit daunting but nothing she couldn't handle. This was going to be easy!

"Uh oh," Hoggle said.

"What?" Kat asked, still too busy looking around to notice anything else.

"You might want to move," he said, pointing at her feet. Kat looked down to see that the prickly vines on the floor were slowly beginning to encase her feet, thorns growing longer as she watched.

"Get off!" She yelped, moving toward the dwarf and dragging her feet from the grasp of the greedy plants. They began to follow her, slowly reaching to ensnare her again. "Apparently I need to be moving," she grumbled. "Which way do we go?"

Hoggle shrugged, "It don't really matter, both sides eventually take you to the same place… or at least, they used to."

"Alright then," Kat said quickly, sidestepping another vine. She mentally flipped a coin. "Right it is," she mumbled.

She began down the long tunnel to her right, only to be blocked off by a wall of vines she could swear were not there a moment ago. Her green eyes then turned to her left. Her long legs moved her swiftly, she was almost jogging by the time she realized that Hoggle was far shorter. She turned to look for him, ready to apologize, but he was gone.

"Hello?" She called, "Hoggle are you there?" No reply. _He ditched me! _

Kat rolled her eyes and kept moving. Eventually there had to be a turn or an opening or something, didn't there? She was starting to breathe harder when she stopped. She took another look around. Nothing was different about her surroundings.

"Wonderful," she groaned to no one.

"What'sssss wonderful?" Asked a smooth voice. Kat whipped her head around. She couldn't see anyone.

"Who's there?" She said calmly though her heart was pounding in her chest.

"Jusssst me," said the voice again. Slowly one of the vines shifted on the wall to her left, the wall to the outside. It wasn't a vine at all, it was a black snake. It rose up until it was eye to eye with Kat, a good two feet up from where the rest of its body was.

Kat normally had no problems with snakes, she actually had wanted one as a pet for years, but this snake was HUGE. He was sitting up off the branch of thorns and his body was lost in all the black but she had no doubt that he was at least 5 feet long, possibly longer. His large head was shaped like that of a boa constrictor but he had no body markings, only shiny black scales.

"Ssso, what'sss wonderful?" He asked again, tilting his head to the side.

"Nothing," Kat sighed, "just that this should not be called a labyrinth, there aren't any turns or openings anywhere!"

"Of coursssse there are, you jussssst aren't looking for them."

"Like where?" She groaned at him.

"Jusssst behind you," his black tongue flicked out as if pointing. Kat looked over her shoulder to see a wall of thorns, just like every other part.

"There's no opening," she said simply, turning back to the snake.

"Come with me and meet my lady," he said, twisting his head to the side.

"But there isn't an opening," she repeated.

"Ssssssure there isssss," the snake nodded, "Try walking through it."

Kat looked skeptically at the snake but put her arms out in front of her and walked forward. To her surprise, her hands passed unscathed into another section of thorn-lined pathway.

A/N: What a helpful poisonous snake, don't you think?


	9. The Shadow's Reach

Sarah stood in Jareth's throne room glaring at the Goblin King. He had attempted to take her brother 30 years before and she would be damned if he would have her daughter now.

"Give her back!" She snapped at the arrogant man before her.

"You know very well I cannot." He snarled at her.

"She is a child Jareth," Sarah growled, "we've been through this before."

"Your brother was hardly the same circumstance!" Jareth quickly lost his patience.

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked suspicion in her voice. "She is a human! I certainly didn't wish her here so you must have kidnapped her."

"I did NOT kidnap her Sarah! She whished HERSELF here," Jareth stood as he spoke.

"She… wished herself?" Sarah was confused; could people wish themselves into this world? She didn't think so. And how? She had closed the portal! Unless…

"No," Sarah gasped, "but I hid it! She should never have been able to awaken her powers!"

"Katherine is a smart girl," Jareth was cooling down slowly now that Sarah understood. "She got curios about those dusty trunks in the attic."

"You lead her to it didn't you!" Sarah accused, though she knew he couldn't have. She had sealed the portal between their realms; his only access would have been fleeting dreams.

"She found it two months ago, on her own. Only after, when her own magic reached for me, could I come through to see her. And before you point that finger at me might I remind you that I can only come in another form unless asked for."

Sarah was quiet, thinking. If Kat had wished herself here, why was she in the Labyrinth? If she had wished to be with Jareth then she should have come straight to the castle. A warm hand on her shoulder startled her from her musings.

"Sarah," Jareth said quietly, "I did not put her in the Labyrinth."

"What do you mean?" Sarah snapped, her temper flaring. "I thought you ruled here! You're the Goblin King!"

"Yes Sarah, the GOBLIN King! Powerful as I may be there are a few who exceed even me."

"Who?"

Jareth turned his head, spitting the next word like a curse, "Natalia." Sarah tilted her head; she had never heard the name. Jareth saw her confusion, "She is Queen of Shadows and has decided it is time to take an interest in my life. You believe me to be cruel Sarah? Natalia is the one who put your daughter in the Labyrinth and I'm sure it is much worse than it was when you went through it. She chained me here like a dog, unable to help Katherine through the terrors you could never dream of." Jareth's eyes snapped with fury as he glanced up behind Sarah.

"My, my Jareth," a cold voice sliced through the air, "you should learn to hold your tongue." Sarah turned to see a woman.

Her blonde hair hung in a tight braid down to the backs of her knees. She was draped in black satin that off set her porcelain skin perfectly. Natalia was certainly beautiful, even with the sneer twisting her features. But Sarah quickly noticed what made the Queen of Shadows so frightening. Her Blood colored eyes were accentuated by dark lashes.

"Natalia, get out of my castle!" Jareth growled venomously.

"You are hardly in the position to give orders," Natalia said calmly. With a wave of her hand Jareth was slammed against the far wall. He slid down to the floor where chains encircled his ankles.

"Jareth," Sarah cried, worried for her sometimes-nemesis.

"So this is the Gate Keeper?" Natalia circled Sarah like a vulture, her red eyes taking in every inch. "She's certainly not what I expected. I'm not impressed."

Sarah swung as a tall white staff appeared in her hand, landing a blow on Natalia's cheek. The blonde woman brought her hand up to her face slowly.

"How about now?" Sarah hissed, glaring at the Shadow Queen. Natalia's shoulders shook slightly and Sarah watched her carefully. Then she faltered as laughter filled the room, Natalia's laughter.

"Little witch," Natalia giggled, "you have forgotten where you are. You have no power in _my_ realm." She fixed her crimson eyes on Sarah and the staff was gone. She made a shooing motion with her hand and Sarah hit the stone wall next to Jareth, knocking the breath out of her.

"Oh! It looks like I will have to deal with you later." Shackles bound Sarah the way they had Jareth. "The child has called my attention."


	10. Choose Your Path

"Thank you!" She squealed and turned to thank the snake properly, but he wasn't there. Puzzled, Kat looked around before hearing a foreboding hiss from the ground. She jumped back just as the snake struck at her leg, missing her by centimeters. She could now see his long fangs, one with a drop of venom on the end.

Kat ran, not caring which way she went as long as it was away from the snake. _How could he? He seemed so nice!_

Kat forced herself to slow down as she realized that, somewhere, the thorns had given way to black stone walls. She noticed she was staring at several open pathways.

_Eenie, menie, miney, mo, _she thought. She chose the path to her right and moved quickly through the archway. A rumble, like rocks grinding against each other, sounded behind her. Kat turned to see a section of the wall shift and the opening she had just walked through was covered. For a moment she simply stood, open mouthed, staring at the solid wall. She growled in frustration and continued down the path.

"How could you expect me to get though this giant maze when you are changing things?" She yelled to the empty air. A feminine chuckle echoed off the rock walls. _She doesn't expect me to get through, _Kat thought, _she expects me to give up._

"I won't give up! Just figured I would let you know."

Another rumble of rock-on-rock caught Kat's attention. Another wall moved, closing off the path ahead and revealing what looked like a dead end. Her green eyes glared at the cloudy sky as she moved into the freshly opened area. Sure enough there was nowhere to go; the only opening was behind her. She rolled her eyes and turned around, only to find herself boxed in.

"This isn't fair!" There had been no noise this time and Kat realized that Natalia was toying with her. "Freaking psycho blonde…" she grumbled under her breath.

"You shouldn't speak of our mistress that way." Kat spun around, her hair flying over her shoulders. Two identical hooded figures stood in front of two equally similar doors, the space that had been an empty wall.

"Choose a door. One leads to what you seek, the other to death," one of the figures said. It had a breathy voice, as if they couldn't get enough air. "We can only answer one question but be warned, one of us is always truthful and one tells not but untruths."

Kat wondered if they could answer a question each but that would be a stupid way to waist a question. She waited, expecting the voice to go on but apparently it was done with its instruction. She was left to think in silence. After several moments Kat believed she had the right question. She moved to stand in front of one of the figures, so it would be obvious which one the question was for.

"Would your friend tell me that this door leads to the city?" She asked, almost the same question her mother had asked 30 years before.

"Yes."

Kat quickly walked to the other door, "This one please."

The figure nodded, "Wise question. Our mistress will be most disappointed."

"Good," Kat said as she pushed the door open and walked through, "psycho bitch needed a good wake up caAAH!" The last word became a scream as the floor dropped out from under her, again. Unlike before, however, she did plummet.

A/N: YAY new chapter! Ironically I'm watching the anime one of my other stories is based on (FMA). Maybe when I get yet another copy of Labyrinth (somehow every time I get a new one it vanishes) I'll get inspiration for that story.

P.S. You what's really annoying? I have a large chunk of this story already written, by hand in notebooks.... the kicker? They're ALL at my mom's house (I currently live at school)


	11. Darkness

Natalia cackled at the picture forming within the black orb she held. She watched at the overly confidant Katherine walk through the door and into the oubliette.

"Good news Jareth. Your pet has survived longer than I expected!" Jareth glared at her from his position on the floor beside the unconscious Sarah. Then Natalia hissed, once again focusing on the shiny surface in her hand. As her smirk turned to a snarl she crushed the sphere, its thin metallic surface shattering like glass. "Damn your servant dwarf, he's already there waiting for her."

"Hoggle," Sarah mumbled as she began to come around.

"I think it's time I spoke with this particular subject of yours." Natalia smiled as a black crystal appeared in her hands.

~~*~~

Kat fell into blackness, unable to see the ground. She tried to position herself so when she hit the ground it would cause the least damage possible. Not that it would help if it was a long fall. It wasn't. She hit the hard ground with a cry of pain; her left hand hit the ground first. A clang sounded above her head, a door sealing off the hole she fell through. She bit her lip and took a mental inventory. Left wrist; sprained or possibly broken, but nothing else seemed too damaged.

_Thank god for that year of cheerleading in middle school, _cheerleading 101: how to fall correctly. She sat up slowly, knowing that her body would be in shock for the next few minutes. She tried to rotate her wrist and hissed in pain. _Well its defiantly not broken, bad sprain though. _

Kat tried to look around but the only light came from a few gaps in the seams of the door above her head. She groaned loudly, putting her forehead on her bent knees. A thud sounded somewhere in the room and Kat's head snapped up.

"Who's there?"

"Me," said a familiar voice as the cavern was illuminated. Kat blinked as her eyes adjusted to the sudden light and quickly looked around at the sparking stone that made up the walls. She focused on Hoggle standing next to a lit candle and a large wooden plank on the ground.

"Long fall?" he asked.

Kat shook her head, "It couldn't have been that far but all I know is that it hurt when I hit the ground." She looked herself over and found shallowly bleeding scrapes on her hands and knees.

"Well would you like to get out?"

"Out of this room, yes; out of the Labyrinth, no."

Hoggle's bushy eyebrows rose, "This is an oubliette, and why not get out of the Labyrinth?"

"Maybe I didn't make this clear earlier," she glared at him. "But if I don't solve this in however many hours I have left, I die."

"Oh," he said, "That explains some things." Kat gave him a confused look. "Well, no one tries to solve this Labyrinth without a good reason" he explained, "particularly now that Natalia is in charge. I take it the helping hands didn't try to catch you on the way down?" She shook her head. "I thought not. Now seeing as you just met Jareth, I would assume he isn't really worth risking your life. But saving your own life? That's something worth fighting for."

Kat stood up slowly and stretched, wincing as her new bruises protested. "So can you get me out of this, what did you call it, oubliette?"

Hoggle nodded, "I got in didn't I?"

"Great, lead the way."

Hoggle picked up the wood on the floor and pushed it up into a similar dent in the wall. He opened it to present a hallway of the same glittering stone. Kat followed him through, ducking her head to get under the low doorway. They passed several stone faces carved into the walls and Hoggle seemed more nervous with each one.

"What is it?" Kat asked when he began watching the faces.

"These are false alarms, usually they tell you to turn back, but they haven't moved at all."

Kat was about to reply when she noticed a small black crystal ball rolling along the floor. Hoggle shuttered as it rolled past his feet but he followed it none the less. The ball rolled around the corner, closely followed by Hoggle and Kat. As they rounded the corner Natalia came into plain sight leaning against a dark brick wall. Hoggle stopped in his tracks.

"Ah, psycho bitch shows herself," Kat said. Natalia ignored her.

"So little dwarf, you think helping this child is in your best interest?" She smiled venomously, watching Hoggle shake in his boots. Her red eyes shifted to Kat's face, "And you Katherine, how are you enjoying my Labyrinth?"

Kat lifted her chin defiantly, "It's easy as pie." She heard Hoggle groan behind her.

"Really, then why don't we shift some rules?" A 13 hour clock appeared behind the blonde woman and, as she made circles with her gloved finger, the hour hand rolled forward. It stopped at two hours forward; it now read 7:30 instead of 5:30.

"That's not fair!" Kat yelped.

"Perhaps that will teach you to watch the way you speak to me. So you think my Labyrinth is 'easy as pie'? Let's see how you handle another piece." Natalia tossed the crystal behind her and disappeared.


	12. Coward's way out

The shining black orb froze in mid air, directly in the center of the tunnel. Hoggle grabbed Kat's wrist and tugged her in the opposite direction.

"Run!"

"What is it?" Kat asked as she complied, beginning to run.

"If this was Jareth," he gasped as a growling began behind them, "it would be the cleaners. With Natalia in charge, I don't want to look and find out."

Kat didn't want to look behind her, but curiosity is a persuasive thing. She risked a glance backwards and what she saw spurred her faster. All she had seen were rows and rows of razor teeth chasing them. She could only assume that it was some kind of worm, a giant worm that filled the whole tunnel. The mouth had almost reached the brick walls on all sides, the roof being at least one-and-a-half of Kat's 5 foot 4 inch frame.

Kat forced her eyes ahead and wanted to scream as she noticed that they were headed toward a very solid-looking metal gate. She quickly looked for another way than straight forward. It didn't seem like the worm would be able to make a fast turn. She noticed a gap in the brick wall coming up on her left and did the only thing she could think of. Taking a firm hold on Hoggle's arm she threw herself through the opening, dragging the dwarf with her. As she had suspected, the worm continued and, with the clanging metal sound she heard, apparently went though the metal gate.

"A little warning next time?" Hoggle grumbled from the ground next to Kat.

"Didn't really have the time," Then, to her horror, she noticed the dark skinned body of the worm was slowing down. It was going to back up and follow them! "Time to go!" She yelped, dragging Hoggle to his feet.

"Wha?"

"It's coming back," she quickly explained. They began to run and once again Kat kept watch for another path. Instead a ladder came into view in the dimly lit channel. It rose into a round hole in the bricks that made up the curved ceiling. "You first," Kat encouraged.

As Hoggle began to climb, an awful roar echoed off the walls behind them. Kat twisted her head to see that the worm had reached the opening and was beginning to turn onto their path, slowly gaining speed.

"Faster Hoggle!" Kat cried, beginning to climb the ladder. Hoggle had reached the point where the ladder continued through the top of the tunnel. Kat could hear the sandpaper sound of the worm's skin on the wall as she reached the hole. She pulled her foot level with the brick and heard the crunch, as well as the shake, of the ladder as the worm rushed under her. The worm also closed out any light from the tunnel, leaving them in blackness.

Kat didn't know her heart could possibly beat as quickly as it did now. She had missed being lunch, but only by a second. She had no doubt that if the worm had caught her foot it would have dragged her along the roof of the sewer-like tunnel until it reached an opening. That would have been a long and painful death.

"Found an opening," Hoggle said, shoving the cap above his head. Sunlight poured into the dark, temporarily blinding both him and Katherine. He hoisted himself out of the hole, which turned out to be a cracked black pot. Kat followed as quickly as she could while her whole body was shaking. Her legs hardly supported her as she landed on the ground. The buzz of adrenaline was slowly ebbing out of her, leaving weakness in its place. She sat down before her legs gave out and leaned against the large pot. Taking deep breaths, she put her head between her knees to hold off a fainting spell.

"You know," Kat grumbled as her heart rate slowed, "she is REALLY starting to get on my nerves."

"And you," Hoggle huffed, "are suicidal." She glared at him. "You know Natalia could kill you as easily as she could blink buy you keep egging her on." Kat stood carefully before turning to the dwarf.

"I thought I had already explained this. It doesn't matter what I do, I am probably going to die. The only possibility of my life continuing is for me to get to the castle in the next 5 hours, she didn't specify what happens if I win her game. I refuse to just give up and let her win."

"Fine, you might be crazy but that doesn't mean I have to follow along with it!" Hoggle glared up at her and Kat glared back with just as much with just as much intensity. He broke first and stomped off, knowing he was taking the coward's way out.


End file.
